Burns like Ice
by red-kitsune16
Summary: The Frog Prince done FF style. But with a frog that doesn't really want to be a prince, and a princess who's actually a ninja there doesn't seem to be any hope for a happily ever after in sight. [Red XIIIxYuffie, CidxVincent so far]
1. Chapter 1

Hey ya'll! This is the second incarnation of my fic "All That You Can't Leave Behind". I've gone back and totally revamped, rewired, and overall improved both the fic technically (grammar, syntax, ect.) and in terms of plot. So I hope you enjoy the first part of the Burns like Ice series. Please review! Thoughts, comments, and ego-stroking are all appreciated. ^_^ Basic disclaimers: None of the boys and girls from FF 7 belong to me (even though I'd totally like to own Sephy ;-)) The song Honnou was written and performed by Shiina Ringo. (Shameless plug-Abso-fuckin'-lutely brilliant song and songstress, I suggest downloading her or buy her CDs)  
  
Instinct: Chapter One  
  
Honnou (Instinct) Ringo Shiina  
  
I don't need promises/  
  
I hate things like that, which won't end./  
  
I want to be linked always/  
  
Longing for a window upon which morning never comes./  
  
Why have words come about throughout history ? /  
  
Sun, Oxygen, Sea, Wind... shouldn't these be enough already ? /  
  
We each face loneliness /  
  
No one can find any fault with wounds we licked properly clean /  
  
unravel the strings, faking life. /  
  
forgive my flightiness,/  
  
don't think its too late, just rush me. /  
  
go in deeper now, make me climax./  
  
the light of the moon/  
  
that seems like it wants to say none of it matters/  
  
Inferiority Complex, Categorize.... Let's try and forget all that. /  
  
In the end I'll be alone anyway,/  
  
It's good to know this empty reality will be forced to a conclusion./  
  
I love that sharp gaze. /  
  
The sunset cast a blood red shadow upon the adamantaimai. It threw back its large beaked head and its battle cry resounded over the surf. It charged towards the fighters at a surprising speed for its prodigious body, raking long claw marks into the sand with each step.  
  
Two fighters stood poised for attack: a young ninja girl holding a cruel looking 4 pointed steel shrunken; and a ferocious red beast with a pointed ornament in his mane and a flamed-tipped tail lashing dangerously behind him. They stood unflinching in their stances as the roar overpowered even the sound of the waves crashing on the sand. It finally closed in and the battle began.  
  
The girl struck first, casting the shrunken at the adamantaimai's back and doing very little damage on its hard shell. "Dammit!" she shouted in her frustration, then jumped back to determine another method of attack. Her partner dashed forward and slashed the great turtle's soft underbelly with his ornament. The adamantaimai howled in agony as the tear in its flesh ripped under the weight of his own organs and began to gush blood into the sand.  
  
The beast howled triumphantly as he darted from under the monster. His amber eyes shined from the high of adrenaline, and the plume on his tail blazed. He gave the ninja a feral grin that said 'Beat That'. And with that, the girl summoned Bahamut ZERO.  
  
The great dragon hurtled down through the clouds from the cosmos, and shot a ray of superheated plasma onto the beast, devastating the overgrown turtle even further. The girl staggered back and collapsed on the sand, her head swimming with sudden vertigo. She desperately tried to recollect herself, finding that the sensation just grew worse every time she tried to scramble to her feet.  
  
The adamantaimai summoned its last vestige of strength and charged the weaken girl, its exposed entrails creating a grisly trail in the sand. It raised its claw over the girl for a final critical blow and suddenly, a blur of red fur leaped in front of the fatal down stroke. The lithe form absorbed the hit and was flung into ground, rolling brokenly past the fallen girl. The monster screeched one more defiant bellow to its conquerers before falling to the ground dead, spilling dark Mako infused blood on the sand.  
  
A feeling of scorching heat passed painfully under the girl's skin. She clawed at her skin and fought the urge to cry out as the agony became too intense to bear. The sensation pulled at her, dragging her in its fiery net to somewhere else. A desperate cry escaped her mouth when she realized she was surrounded.  
  
The ten shrouded figures chanted over her. Their were no words, only a long rhythmic mumbling that made the girl's body hurt with every syllable. She rushed at one and struck out at it, "Lemme go!" she growled. Her captors stopped their chant, one stepped closer to her and she crouched ready to spring. "Return. It is done," its voice was familiar, but the pain drove all other thought from her mind. Her muscles coiled, she sprang with her claws outstretched, and landed on the sand.  
  
She knelt on her hands and knees in the sand; her heart pounded in her chest so hard she could hear it in her ears. The pain was gone, and with a few ragged breaths her head began to clear. Then she remembered the last thing she saw before she disappeared: her companions body being smashed into the dirt .  
  
"Nanaki! Nanaki!" she cried as she clamored to his side. Red XIII's side rose and fell shallowly, one of his feet was turned unnaturally under his body, a bone protruded painfully under his flesh looking suspiciously like a broken rib, and a thin line of blood trickled from his nose. "Oh great," she mumbled to herself. "If you die on me Nanaki I'll kill you, I swear." She rested her palms lightly on his fur and casted Cure 3.  
  
Yuffie watched as his foot untwisted itself, and heard the bone from the broken rib make a rather sickening popping sound as it went back into its proper place. She sighed her relief and wondered what she would have done if his injuries had actually been fatal. She never brought her Life materia or Phoenix Down for these overnight trips, despite the amount of times he had warned her to. She had figured that she and Red XIII were too strong to really need them. She wouldn't make that same mistake in the future.  
  
Yuffie sat in the sand next to Red XIII's body and waited for the Cure 3 to finish its work. They were going to have to rest here tonight: they had spent the entire day killing monsters and the combination of fatigue and injuries would slow their hike back to the town to a crawl. That, and she knew she had about 24 more hours until she was actually free and clear from the Henkan Ceremony. Even though a sneaking suspicion told her that she might not have missed it, anyway. "That friggin', sneaky, good-for-nothin' old man and his lackeys did it anyway. Goddamnit!" she cursed aloud. She sighed her frustration and brushed her hands off on her shorts out of habit before deciding how to move Red XIII's body to their overnight spot.  
  
The cave they usually used was maybe 60 yards from the beach. It was far enough from the waves to stay dry during high tide, and was one of the few that only had a front entrance making it easy to defend. Yuffie dragged the bedroll she had moved Red XIII body on to the side of the cave he usually claimed as his. As she saw him lay there she was struck with a strange urge to touch his fur. Despite the scars that were raked across his body in some places it still looked like it would feel soft and warm. Even after living and working together for almost two years he still got mad whenever she asked. She remember of one particularly memorable occasion when he had demanded, "You would never ask to pet any of your other friends would you?"  
  
"I might if they any of them could keep their coats as pretty and glossy as you do," she had answered.  
  
She made up her mind that it probably wasn't worth it, and exhaustedly trudged back out to gather driftwood for their fire.  
  
~~~~~~*~~~~~~~  
  
Yuffie stirred her instant noodle cup thoughtfully with her chopsticks. She was thankful that she had had a couple of packs in her bag, the idea of hunting for dinner was just a bit too primitive for her. She shivered as another night breeze cooled her wet skin. Using the Water materia was a creative way to get fresh water, but by no means an exact science. Even the weakest Water spell produced enough of the stuff to drench the noodles and all of Yuffie's clothes as well. She made a mental note to bring an extra change of clothes on their next trip along with Phoenix Downs.  
  
"Nice job with the guard duty."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. How are you doing?" Yuffie said. Red XIII slowly laid down in the sand next to her, his usual feline grace was missing in his movements, and now seemed painfully stiff. "Nothing more than the usual healing soreness," he admitted.  
  
She nodded, "That's good," then punched him as hard as she could in the shoulder.  
  
"Ouch! Yuffie?!" he said rubbing his shoulder with his paw, "What the hell was that for?!"  
  
"I don't know what you were thinking! Jumping in front of me like that you, you big stupid head!" she stormed. "Stupid...head?"  
  
"Did you honestly think that I was that weak, that some TURTLE could take me out? I would have been okay without you playin' Mr. Big Hero."  
  
"So...are there anymore noodles left, or did you eat them all again?" he asked. Yuffie could feel her face turning red, "Aren't you listening to me at all?"  
  
"Sure," his shoulders raised in his leonine version of a shrug. "You could barely stand back there, I wasn't going to stand idly by while you got smeared all over the sand by a turtle. So there really isn't anything to discuss except where the rest of the noodles are."  
  
She leaned over and handed him the second bowl of noodles she had made. " It always amazes me how quickly you mess up my tantrums," she mumbled.  
  
He flashed his teeth in a quick grin, "If not me, who? If not now, when? If not-"  
  
"Enough, I get it, I get it," she pleaded.  
  
"Aww, and I had two more to go."  
  
"Please eat before I cast Silence on you," she said, her tone making the threat a promise. He opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it and started to eat his ramen.  
  
Yuffie looked up to see a night sky that was bright with stars. She never paid much attention to little things like that, too many other things to do. There was always a monster to slay, a narrow escape to be made, materia to steal... Life was good. But to this day she still didn't understand how she ended up with Red XIII of all people after AVALANCHE finally broke up. He had asked to return with her, she said yes, and that was it. Though she did wish she had asked for an explanation, it would probably be awkward to do it now after almost two years.  
  
She finished off the rest of her noodles, and then brushed the sand of her shorts as she stood. "Will you be okay alone? I'm gettin' kinda tired and wanna head back to the cave."  
  
He nodded, "Yeah, the soreness is almost gone and I didn't unequip."  
  
"Alright," she started to walk back, then hesitated. She knelt in the sand next to Red XIII, he looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. "What are you...?" He trailed off as she leaned over and kissed him below the scar where his right eye would have been. "Thank you for what you did, Nanaki."  
  
He seemed to be at a loss for words, true she had never done anything like that before. But to see Red XIII's usual oh- so- cool exterior so quickly melted around his paws was priceless.  
  
"What was that for?" he asked dumbly.  
  
She pushed herself to her feet, "It's my plan to domesticate you; first a kiss, then I'll start scratching you behind the ears, and finally I will have you sleeping at the foot of my bed." She said with a sadistic smirk  
  
. "Like hell you will!" he growled with mock-ferocity. Then they both started laughing. Yuffie had joked about "domesticating" him since he moved in with her. A few of the older villagers who hadn't known who he was had been concerned about Yuffie keeping a wild animal at her house. She had always answered, "Well I'm going to train him, duh". It had infuriated Red XIII to no end, but eventually it came to become one of their favorite inside jokes. Or at least Yuffie's.  
  
"Alright no chew toys for you."  
  
"Yuffie, you're pushing it."  
  
"Sorry." She said and finally started for the cave.  
  
~~~~*~~~~~  
  
As Yuffie unrolled her cactaur knapsack she began to wonder if kissing Red XIII was a good idea. It had been chaste, a kiss between friends. To have someone who cared enough about her to die for her was something she had never had before, it meant a lot to her. Shouldn't she be able to show it?  
  
She had been alone for as long as she could remember: her mother had left a long time ago, and her dad was always drunk after the war ended. She had had her, that's it. But that hadn't been true for almost three years now, she just kinda forgot that every now and again.  
  
Red XIII wandered into the cave. She couldn't tell in the darkness if his limp had disappeared completely yet or not. "Yuffie?" he called to her.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Have you ever had... feelings for me?" he asked embarrassedly.  
  
"Is this about that kiss, ''Naki? 'Cause if it is you're really gettin' the wrong idea. I'd kiss my brother like that (if I had one), my friends, my dad (if I did kiss that old dirt bag). It was totally platoonic," she explained quickly.  
  
"Platonic," he corrected.  
  
"That's what I said."  
  
"No you said...Well, don't worry about it. You answered my question, thank you."  
  
Yuffie wondered if he had actually thought that he would get another answer. She cared about him, and maybe if he was an actual person, maybe. But that was not happening, so why think about it? She bet he would be hot too. 


	2. Chapter 2

Instinct: Chapter 2  
  
The field was filled with flowers, and sunshine radiated from the cloudless blue sky. Feather-like pollen caught in the wind danced above the blossoms and tangled themselves in Red XIII's fur. He felt peaceful in this place: the air, the earth under his feet, the flowers- all seem warm with familiarity. It beckoned to a more youthful part of him he did his best to suppress even in his dreams, and he chased after that call through the floral maze.  
  
He was breathless from the sudden burst of energy when he found himself at the foot of a small grassy hill. A girl sat on top of it with her back to Red XIII, she laid in the grass on her back propped up on her elbows. For a moment he thought it was Yuffie because of her short brown hair, and it wouldn't have been the first time she had been in his dreams. But her baby pink dress, and the strangely fitting scuffed leather combat boots told him differently .  
  
"Aeris?" he called.  
  
She looked over her shoulder and smiled, "Nanaki!" she giggled. They ran to each other and she embraced him around the neck. Then, still resting her hands between his shoulder blades, guided him to her spot on the top of the hill. "It's been a long time," she said as they sat down.  
  
"Yes, not since..." she nodded in understanding.  
  
"Let's not talk about that," she said smiling," Tell me about Wutai." He began to recount his time on the island. All the adventures he had had with Yuffie. They talked for a long time when Aeris asked finally "Nanaki, would you mind helping me with something?"  
  
"Sure, anything," he said, fighting the urge to grin maniacally. He was so filled with warmth and tranquillity, she could have asked him to follow her off a cliff and he was positive that he would follow her.  
  
"It's kinda selfish. I'm... looking for someone, and I need a way to go find him."  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm still not quite sure what you're talking about," he answered, perplexity beginning to tamper with his euphoria.  
  
"Oh don't worry I don't need you to find him or anything. I have no clue how I am, so how would you even know where to begin?" she reassured him.  
  
"Who is this "he"?" he asked. He frowned, "It's not Cloud is it? He and Tifa are married."  
  
Her face darkened for a moment, then returned to its previous cheeriness, "I know that. And no, it's not Cloud that I'm looking for. I'm looking for the man I'm meant to spend my life with," she finished dreamily.  
  
"You fall in love a lot," he commented dryly.  
  
"I cared about Zach and Cloud, but I think he's reason I did. I've always searched for him in men, and fortunately I've just ended up with other heroes." she replied, there was no reproach in her voice despite the small jab. "But will you help me?"  
  
He rested his head in her lap, an action he would only consider in his current un-self consciousness. "Of course, anything," he purred.  
  
She stroked his fur gently, "Thank you, Nanaki." The Cetran craned her head down to smile a final time at him before she murmured, "This is where you close your eyes."  
  
Then, his vision started to fade, and his only companion was the intoxicating smell of the wildflowers.  
  
~~~~~*~~~~~~  
  
Red XIII awoke the next morning having the happy feeling of wonderful dreams. He left his eyes closed as he tried to remember what was so wonderful, and all that came to mind was the smell of flowers.  
  
He opened his eyes and sat up to find a very pissed looking Yuffie pointing her Conformer at him. "Who the hell are you, and where is Nanaki?" she asked coldly.  
  
"Yuffie, quit playing. It's way too early," he said pushing the shrunken away. Then caught a glimpse of his hand? He stared at his hands in disbelief. "Holy shit," he breathed.  
  
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" she demanded pushing the shrunken to his throat vehemently.  
  
"Yuffie it's me! Except I'm... human!" he said in an uncharacteristically high voice.  
  
She lowered the Conformer, looking closer at the strange man and gasped. He was right: the man had the three parallel lines running up his cheek. He had two tattoos on his olive complected arms- one the Roman numeral thirteen, and the other a village insignia on his left arm. Then there was the shag of red hair, beaded in front, that was unmistakably the same color as Red XIII's fur. And the scar where his left eye should have been.  
  
She had missed all these details in her rage at finding her friend missing. The Conformer clattered to the floor. "Oh my gods," she said covering her mouth in shock. "this is incredible."  
  
"I agree," he said, his voice had returned to its normal pitch, but it held just as much disbelief.  
  
She frowned and turned her head away blushing, "Not to ruin the moment or anything, but, uh, Nanaki you're gonna need some pants."  
  
He looked down at himself and shrugged, "I don't have any pants. Why would I?"  
  
"Listen. It's okay not to when you're, umm, four-legged. But now that you're human you can't go around au natural, catch my drift?" she answered still avoiding eye contact.  
  
"I don't have any pants," he repeated.  
  
"Well, I guess you could borrow some of mine." she suggested. "How 'bout I give you my spare ones? You can figure 'em out yourself, right?" She said as she removed a pair out of her bag.  
  
"I believe I'm intelligent enough to figure out a pair of shorts Yuffie," he snapped, snatching the shorts from her.  
  
"Ok then, see you in a little bit," she waved and walked out to the beach.  
  
Red XIII stared at the shorts like a man surveying a mountain he was going to climb. The task couldn't be all that daunting, Yuffie and millions of other humans did it everyday. He took a deep breath and still sitting down slipped them over his feet. It all went well until they had reached about mid-thigh. He tugged desperately at the shorts to pull them over his muscular quadriceps, but to no avail. He bucked back and forth on his back trying to work them over his legs, his long legs flailing in the air.  
  
After a second unsuccessful attempt (and much swearing) he resolved to rip the seams of shorts to the waistband. It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done. He was also positive that he shouldn't be so out of breath from putting on shorts.  
  
By the time Yuffie had arrived he stood precariously at the mouth of the cave in the cutoffs. The unevenly cut shorts, small on her, looked like underwear on his longer muscular legs. He took a few steps towards her then immediately groped for at the wall beside him, overstepped and collapsed in the sand. She looked at him and began to say something when Red XIII growled, "One word, and there will be no one that can save you."  
  
"I wasn't going to say anything," she said innocently.  
  
He sighed and said, "I had no idea that walking was this hard." He picked himself up, "See, if I just stand here I'm fine, but the moment I actually move." He took a wobbly step and promptly fell back into the sand. "This is horrible," he said miserably.  
  
Yuffie started laughing, until tears began rolling down her cheeks. He glared at her, that was really the last thing that he needed. He tried to stand again, and caught the wall this time to balance himself. Yuffie collected herself enough to offer him a hand.  
  
"No," he said. "I can do this on my own."  
  
"Uh-huh, sure, now stop being a baby and give me your hand."  
  
"What? So you can laugh at me again," he said, then tried to push her hand away with his free hand promptly unbalancing and falling onto Yuffie. She caught and held him, "See, this is what happens when you're mean to people who are just trying to help," she said in a mock-scolding tone. "I laughed because you are so adorably helpless, not because you can't walk."  
  
He righted himself so that they were facing each other, and she took his hands into hers. It was then he noticed how much taller than she he had become. He guessed that he was at least as tall as Vincent, and from his new height Yuffie seemed even more petite. Petite, but never delicate, he was sure that even if he was twelve feet taller than she he would feel the power she radiated no less.  
  
"Ok, let's teach you how to walk," She said as she started walking backwards, forcing him to walk with her. They moved slowly at first, stopping when he stumbled occasionally.  
  
"Hey 'Naki, not to break your concentration or anythin' but why do you look my age instead of like 50 or somethin'?"  
  
He kept his head trained on the ground, "I dunno, I guess this is my appearance according to my true age, rather than human years."  
  
"Ah. That makes sense, I guess." They continued walking, keeping conversation to a minimum.  
  
It wasn't long before the grace he had gained from years of fighting and training began to slowly show in his steps, and he no longer needed Yuffie's help. "See, that wasn't so terrible, was it?" she grinned.  
  
"No, it wasn't," he admitted.  
  
"Thank god you're a quick study."  
  
"No, I just had an excellent teacher," he said. She rolled her eyes and they both laughed. "Yuffie, I'm sorry about this morning. Even when I had to wear that stupid sailor suit on the Shinra boat I wasn't this self- conscious, but even then I was still... me." he explained.  
  
She waved away the apology, "I'd be stressed out too, if I woke up and wasn't me anymore," she said. "Don't worry. We'll head back to Wutai, and you and Cloud can swap cross dressing stories over the phone. Whadda ya say?"  
  
He nodded, "Yes, it would probably be better if we waited to talk about this when we get back to your house. And when did Cloud start cross dressing?"  
  
"Oh his cross dressing days are long behind him. It was just a funny story that Tifa told me once. I'll tell you on the way home."  
  
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~  
  
"It's a good thing we got in so late. I don't think that the people of Wutai are ready for you in cutoffs." Yuffie said as she put down her pack.  
  
Red XIII pulled at his shorts again and muttered, "I don't think that I was ready either." Yuffie laughed.  
  
"I'm sure dad's clothes will fit better. Yay! We get to go shopping tomorrow!" she exclaimed as she walked to her father's room.  
  
"Uhh, I don't remember anything about shopping." he muttered.  
  
"Well you can't borrow clothes forever, can you?" she asked.  
  
"I guess not, but-"  
  
"Yay! Shopping!" He sighed and shook his head.  
  
"Oh yeah, be sure to do a quick Cure on yourself to take care of all your scrapes and stuff!" she called from down the hall.  
  
Red XIII had never felt so tired in all his life. He still had had to rely on Yuffie to walk for the last leg of the trek back, because fatigue had begun to reclaim his quickly learned balance. He had never felt more like the 50 year old man he was until he had to hobble his way home. How embarrassing.  
  
And even worse was the fact that his senses had been considerably dimmed in his transformation. Well, his eyesight had actually improved, but his sense of hearing, smell, and even taste were hardly half of what they had been. He felt so cut of from everything, as if the whole world had lost some of the vibrancy that it once had. Everything about being a human seemed to disorient him.  
  
He collapsed into a chair that was located in the main breezeway to cast the Cure on himself. It felt nice to finally be off his feet. When he had finished his eyes fell on a note stuck onto one of the shoji screens. "What's this, Yuffie?"  
  
"What?" she called from the hallway that led to her father's bedroom. He took the note off the wall and read it.  
  
Yuffie  
  
I can't begin to describe the dishonor you have brought to this family by not attending your own Henkan ceremony. I have reminded you every day since your 18th birthday that this was to be the weekend your ceremony was to occur, and yet you still manage to disappear. Your disrespect for not only the Shinobi clan, but bring the entire village is shame. But as I have told you before, the corporal body of the person to be changed is not needed and so  
  
"Whatcha got there, Naki?" Yuffie asked as she began to read over his shoulder. Her body strickened and she snatched the letter out of his hands.  
  
"What's that all about, Yuffie?" he asked. "You never said anything to me about some Henkan ceremony."  
  
"You're right, because it has nothing to do with you," she said cooly, crumpling the note in her hand.  
  
"Is that why you were so insistent that we did a long patrol this weekend? Because of this ceremony? Yuffie?" he demanded.  
  
She crossed her arms and stared out to the courtyard in the center of the house, "So what if it was? This Henkan ceremony is the first step in becoming one of the Pagoda Masters, and that is the LAST thing I plan on doing. I'm NOT gonna get stuck here forever like my dad did, no way."  
  
Red XIII understood the sentiment completely. He had struggled with the conflict of what he wanted to do versus what he knew he should and eventually must do. It hadn't been until his time with AVALANCHE that he realized that there was a difference between the two. "Someday Yuffie, we're not going to have a choice."  
  
"I know," she said, then her eyes lit with defiance again. "But, I'm not going out without a fight. So let's go into my old man's room and steal his clothes! Whaddya say?" He smiled, "Okay, Yuffie."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Yuffie flicked on the light of her father's room. She knew that even though she had missed her ceremony, her father and the rest of the Pagoda masters would remain in the mountains for prayer and meditation until the following day. So there was no one to stop her from opening his wardrobe, pushing through the clothes until she found a pair of drawstring pants and a shirt that would fit Red XIII.  
  
She threw the clothes at Red XIII, but continued going through the wardrobe. She winced as she heard him shred the shorts, and the fabric fall to the floor. But she kept digging until she had found what she was looking for. She held her treasure in her hand. "I knew Godo had my Power wrist! That kleptomaniac prick! Don't you just hate when people take things that don't belong to them? Nanaki? Nanaki?"  
  
She heard a loud thump from behind and whirled around. He had somehow managed to put both legs into the same pant leg then lost his balance and had fallen flat on his side. "Help," he said simply.  
  
She stifled a giggle. "Two legs, two holes. You made this mess, you figure it out. That's all I have to say. This one's on you pal," she said stepping over his legs.  
  
He reached out and yanked one of her legs hard, causing her to fall flat on her face. "Ow!" she said rubbing her leg.  
  
"I said 'Help', listen next time," he said smirking.  
  
"Maybe I won't," she said crossing her arms indignantly, head turned away from him.  
  
"I think you will, seeing as I still have your leg."  
  
"So." she answered, her head still turned away.  
  
He shrugged, "Ok then, we can wait. Here. All night. On the floor. Until Godo gets back tomorrow, and sees that not only have you missed your Henkan ceremony, but you have his Power Wrist, too."  
  
"But it's mine!" she cried in protest. "But why were you in his wardrobe anyway?" "Red. I really hate you right now."  
  
"I know you do." he said pulling her closer to him with a quick tug of her leg. "Now get me out of here!"  
  
Later, Yuffie sat in her room carefully removing Materia from the slots in the Conformer. She was so preoccupied she didn't notice Red XIII enter, then take a seat in the chair across from her bed. "Yuffie, While we were traveling I thought a lot about my... transformation."  
  
"Yeah, me too," she said distractedly as she concentrated on a piece of blue Materia she was retrieving.  
  
"And I think I came up with a possible explanation pertaining to what might have cause it," he continued," I'm not sure, but I believe it had to do with the kiss you had given me last night."  
  
"My kiss? That little peck on the cheek cause you to become an entirely different species? I don't think so Nanaki," she said snapping her brown eyes from her work and looking right into his light yellow ones.  
  
"Well what else could it have been? That was certainly not the first time I've been hit by a monster, or even been exposed to the Mako in the Adamantaimai's blood. It must have crossed your mind once," he said pacing her room.  
  
"Sure, but it's just insane. I mean, that sort of thing only happens in fairy tales. Like the Frog Prince or something."  
  
He stopped pacing the room, "Frog Prince?"  
  
Yuffie rolled her eyes, "You know the story about a prince who's cursed by some witch to be a frog until he finds true love. Then a princess comes along and finds this frog, kisses him, and he becomes a hot prince. I guess it would be DOG prince in your case, but whatever."  
  
"The point is there are stories where this kind of thing happen," he interrupted.  
  
"Yeah," she shrugged.  
  
"Is there ever a way to reverse the transformation?" he asked.  
  
"Well, usually the frog is happy living as a hot guy with a princess in a palace for the rest of his life."  
  
"So, no." he said disheartened.  
  
She frowned, "Do you really hate being a human that much?"  
  
"I used to dislike two-legged things, but now I don't mind them quite so much. Though I still find humans to be a relatively weak species."  
  
"Thanks," she grumbled. "I'm just being truthful, besides I couldn't let that dog prince comment slide, could I?" Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
He scratched the back of his neck while he thought, "I need to talk with Bugenhagen. I hear that Mideel's got a lot of Oracles where you can go and contact the dead nowadays."  
  
"Fine, kinda weird, but if you think it'll work," she said putting the Conformer to one side, then leaped off the bed and landed right in front of him, "and seeing how my hot lips got ya into this, I'm goin' with ya!"  
  
"You are?" he quirked a red eyebrow in disbelief, "but you hate traveling."  
  
"Thought about it, but I'm willing to take one for the team," she said with a wink.  
  
"Of course it has nothing to do with not wanting to be left alone with your dad and the other four "Mighty Gods" when I leave, right?" he asked sarcastically.  
  
"Wha? No way! So, uh, when do we leave?" she asked sitting back on her bed.  
  
"As soon as we can get a ride."  
  
"Leave that to me," he gave her a incredulous look. "What? If I said I'm gonna do it, then I'm gonna do it."  
  
"Fine, I trust you," he said as he started for the door. "Good night, Yuffie."  
  
"G'nite, 'Naki," she called after him down the hall.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Red XIII sprawled across his bed. That night the minutes were like hours, and the hours felt like lifetimes. A tree outside his window manipulated the moonlight, making it cast a disjointed spotlight across the room.  
  
It flashed his comforter languishing over the footboard, then illuminated his sheets cascaded over the mattress like cloth waterfalls, and finally came to rest on RedXIII sighing face before he crossed the cold floor to the mirror for the hundredth time that night.  
  
He sat, lotus-position, in front of the mirror completely still, mesmerized by his reflection. He brought a hand to his face and gently probed his cheeks, soft and hairless to the touch. He pulled his hand away and slowly opened it and closed. Like an infant- balling and stretching the human digits experimentally. He placed his hand back into his lap and watched his reflection, halfway between disgust and fascination with what he saw.  
  
He didn't know why he was so surprised if he knew that becoming human was always a possibility. But for Yuffie of all people to have broken the Curse of Shiva, that was something he could have never imagined. He gave a short ironic, "Heh," before getting up and heading to the kitchen.  
  
Cooking had always been very cathartic for him, even back when he lived with his grandfather. The smell of spices, the sound of popping oil, the taste of his own cooking, it all relaxed him in a way that nothing else could. And tonight he really needed to take his mind off of things.  
  
He searched through the freezer and pulled out Thunderbird legs and some Tailvault tails. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out every single fresh herb he could find. Then he went to the cabinets pulling teeth- grooved spice bottles off the shelves. He surveyed his implements. If this didn't take his mind of it, nothing would.  
  
Yuffie woke the next morning, and padded to the kitchen. She passed the shower to hear water running, and when she reached the kitchen she found a four course meal waiting on the kitchen island. She shook her head as she guessed their origin, and opened the refrigerator, pulled out the carton of orange juice, and took it with her back to her room.  
  
She put the carton on the night stand next to her bed and looked at the clock. 12:45 it read in bright neon digital numbers. "If it's 12:45 here then it's..." she counted on her fingers, "9:45 at the Ranch! They better not be at Saucer this weekend."  
  
She dialed the Strife's number, and waited impatiently until she heard a man's voice on the other line. "Hello? Cloud speaking, who is this?"  
  
"Hey, Cloud! It's Yuffie, I'm surprised I thought you would be at Gold Saucer racing," she said.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you," his voice falling deadpan. "What do you want?"  
  
"Weeeelll, I was calling to see if you knew Cid's number."  
  
"You want Cid's number?" he scoffed. "Isn't he a little old for you? And I don't think you're his type anyway."  
  
"It's not for me you jerk," she said agitated. "It's for Nanaki." And then proceeded to launch into an account of the events of the past two days.  
  
After she finished, he said. "Wait, so let me get this straight. You kissed RedXIII, and now he's human?"  
  
"Pretty much sums it up," she answered. After a silence she took to be pensiveness Cloud finally asked. "On the mouth?"  
  
"Cloud!!!"  
  
"Sorry, had to check. Hold on, Tifa just got home, she'll talk to you in a sec," there was a click as he hung up the phone. Tifa held the cordless in her hand as she listened to her husband tell her the news Yuffie told him.  
  
"Really?" she said when he had finished, "it wasn't... on the mouth was it?" she asked concerned.  
  
"Apparently not, but hey," he said throwing his hands up. "What was she doing kissing RedXIII in some secluded beach cove anyway?"  
  
"Cloud, you know her and Nanaki have been close for sometime now. And I'm sure it wasn't anything like your making it out to be," she scolded.  
  
"Make out, hehe," he said mischievously.  
  
"Sometimes I think I've married a perverted thirteen-year-old boy," she said disapprovingly.  
  
"No. I actually just have a nice buzz and therefore have regressed to a perverted fourteen-year-old boy." he corrected her.  
  
She looked at him, nonplused. "I knew it! Cloud Strife you know how giddy you get when you drink, and sometimes it's cute and other times it's just- STOP KISSING MY NECK!" she shouted and rapped him on the forehead.  
  
"Alright, sorry," he said apologetically as he weaved out of the room. She could hear him in the hallway saying something that sounded like he was heading to the stables. She rolled her eyes and continued to dial the number.  
  
"Hello," Yuffie answered.  
  
"Yuffie? Hi, it's Tifa. Yeah it has been a long time.... Cloud told me already, that's really amazing... Oh that, you know how big of a dork he is, we all knew you wouldn't kiss him on the mouth, you didn't right... Calm down! I was just checking."  
  
"Red says he want's to go to Mideel to see Bugenhagen and see if he can find out what's going on," Yuffie said. "I mean, I would call Cid, but I don't have his number, and I haven't seen him since that last night on the Highwind. But I know you keep in touch with almost everyone (with the exception of me apparently), so I figured you would."  
  
"Oh c'mon Yuffie!" she said exasperated." I called you last month on your birthday." "Yeah, yea, I know. I was just kidding."  
  
"Well ok. Umm, let me think," she paused for a moment. "I think that he's taking time off his cargo business to spend more time with Vincent. So, it would be a perfect time to get a hold of him. I got his number right here." She gave Yuffie Cid's home number. "Got it?" she asked when she finished.  
  
"Yeah, thanks. But did you say Mr. Let's-see-if-overexertion-will-kill-me- before-emphzema-will has taken time off?- wow. Cid's really committed to him. Never the ones you expect to turn out, you know..." Yuffie mused.  
  
"Yeah, but they are cute together. And it's good to see them both find someone to love them. You'd be amazed in the change its made in both of them. Vincent was like a whole 'nother person last time we saw them, and Cid's...well... Cid's still Cid," she answered.  
  
"Do you mind if I talk to Red?"  
  
"I wouldn't mind at all, but he has been in the shower since before I woke up. Guess he still hasn't figured out how everything works yet."  
  
"Heh, well then, talk to you later Yuffie."  
  
"Bye, Tifa." she said, and hung up the phone before dialing Cid's number.  
  
~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~  
  
Vincent woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. He burrowed deeper into the covers, sandwiched his head between the pillow, and listened to the bedsprings creak as Cid rolled over to answer the phone. "Hello," he answered in a gruff voice. "Who? What the fuck do you want at twelve fuckin' o' clock?"  
  
He cringed at Cid's choice of words, he had recently been trying to refine his lovers speech and break him of some of his more gaudy habits. He gave him a nudge with his knee in warning, and Cid rephrased his question. " Sorry, whadda ya want?" he didn't speak for a while and then said "Yeah well what the fu- uhh- what do you want me to do about it.... What?! You want me to do what for your ditzy materia stealing ass?!"  
  
"Cid," he said warningly pulling his head from under the pillow, but Cid ignored him and continued talking. "How is it not for you? You made him that way! You fix it! I'm on vacation va-ca-tion. I didn't take time off so I could... What the fuck do you mean a better pilot? I'm the best goddamn pilot in the world!" Vincent slapped his forehead realizing exactly where this conversation was going. "What are you talking about too old? I ain't that goddamn old!... Tomorrow? Wutai? To go to Mideel?... You're damn right I'll be there... Fine! Tomorrow!" he said slamming down the receiver. "We're going to Wutai tomorrow!" he announced to Vincent, who could only shake his head.  
  
"Well, I don't really love your for your brains, do I?" he said in his usual soft sarcastic tone.  
  
"What does that mean?!"  
  
"Nothing, dear. We'll worry about the language tomorrow," he said settling back down into the sheets.  
  
"Language my ass," Cid muttered.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Nothin' Vince." he said draping an arm around him and falling back to sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuffie hung-up the phone with a triumphant grin on her face and leaned back into the pillows. She took a swig of the orange juice as the bathroom door slammed shut. She looked up to see Red XIII in a towel around his waist. He had taken the customary beads and feathers out of his hair so it hung wet to his shoulders.  
  
Hard muscle that once rippled under a layer of red fur now translated into one of the most beautiful bodies she had ever seen on a guy, definition without that overdone muscleman effect that some guys had.  
  
Yuffie almost choked on orange juice, but eventually swallowed and made a gasping noise like a dying fish, he looked on with a puzzled expression. "Are you ok?" he asked, pushing some wet strands of hair from his face.  
  
"Yeah, I'm great," she said clearing her throat. "I've got us a ride. Cid's taking us to Mideel tomorrow. That's ok, right? I know you wanted to leave as soon as possible."  
  
"Thanks a lot Yuffie," he said smiling brightly. She noticed that even as a human his canines were still pointed slightly. "It means a lot to me."  
  
"Hey! It's the least I could do considering," she said waving him off.  
  
"Yeah, considering," he repeated and started walking to his room.  
  
"Don't forget shopping!" she called.  
  
"How could I forget shopping?" he said sarcastically.  
  
"Beats me!" she answered. She waited until he was out of sight then sighed dreamily, her thoughts drifting to... Oh no. She gave her self a quick mental slap in the face. We do not sigh dreamily about Nanaki, she reminded herself. Nor do we fantasize about him, nor do we drool or lose the ability to communicate when he's in a towel, wet, and all glistening and.... NO!  
  
"Above all, we do not crush on best friends," she mumbled to herself and collapsed back on the bed, forgetting about the orange juice that was still in her hand.  
  
"OH SHIT!" 


	3. Chapter 3

Instinct: Chapter 3  
  
"That's quite a way to say thank you," Vincent said with the shadow of a grin on his pale face.  
  
RedXIII nodded his agreement. "Trust me, no one was more surprised than I was. What I'd meant to tell her was I was I had had an old "Cover" materia equipped to me."  
  
"A cover materia on you, protect her, same difference," Vincent agreed.  
  
"Yeah, but I would have done it regardless. If you had only seen her, she was just so...helpless. And trust me, the idea of Yuffie being helpless is almost more disturbing than the idea of Yuffie being dead."  
  
"Especially to Yuffie," Vincent quipped, and they both laughed.  
  
The two had always had an understanding of sorts: both held a respect for the other's intelligence and strength. Over time that respect had developed into a friendship, and despite their obvious differences they found their quiet, thoughtful dispositions to be very similar.  
  
Red XIII had his feet propped up on a chair next to him. He once again fought the urge to scratch the white cotton tank top that Yuffie had bought for him. She had been insistent on them going to the one clothing shop in the entire town before they left the next day. She and the lady who owned the store had spent at least 3 hours dressing him up like some sort of human doll. He swore that if he heard the word cute as in "Isn't that cute!" or "You look so cute in that" one more time he'd scream. Eventually, the three of them had been able to reach a compromise: Yuffie could buy whatever she wanted as long as it wasn't too much.  
  
"You're worried about the price? It's less expensive than when we go weapons shopping," Yuffie said.  
  
"I'm not talking about money," he said exasperated. "Let's put it this way, I want to wear as little as culturally acceptable to you humans. I *hate* clothes, they're so itchy and restricting and... Anyway, just keep that in mind. Why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
Yuffie stared at him with the same strange expression that she had when he had talked to her that morning, then returned to the sales lady. "Are you okay, Yuffie-san?" the lady asked her. "You look so pale. Did something happen to your cousin?"  
  
"Oh no, we're fine. I just never fail to be weirded out by off-islander customs." The lady looked over her shoulder and gave him a once over. Studying his hair ornaments, the three earrings in his left ear, and the tribal tattoo that peaked out from under the short- sleeved shirt he wore.  
  
"I could understand," she muttered back.  
  
All in all, he ended up with several tank tops similar to the one he wore now, pants that Yuffie referred to as "cargos", and several other things whose names he really didn't pay attention to.  
  
Vincent and he talked now in what once was the Highwind's conference room. The place had been recently converted to a break room now that the Highwind was mainly a cargo plane rather than a rebel base. It was now deserted, devoid of the bustle of off-duty crewmembers. The only sound in the room beside their voices was a TV perched in the corner broadcasting the Chocobo race from Golden Saucer, and the electric hum of the refrigerator.  
  
"I once read a book about this happening. A man waking up one day, and he was no longer a man but a bug," Vincent remarked.  
  
"Yeah? What happened to him?" Red XIII asked curiously. He shrugged, "He lost everything- friends, family, his career, everything. But I remember being struck by how little the protagonist cared about being a bug. He was actually happy that he didn't have to go to work anymore. It was a very...different type of story."  
  
"How did it end?"  
  
"What for the guy? He stayed a bug, no one knew could find anyway to change him back," Red XIII tried his best to hide his crestfallen expression. "But it was just a stupid story, fiction has no baring on reality," Vincent added reassuringly.  
  
"But there always seems to be a little bit of truth to them, isn't there?" he noted quietly.  
  
Just then the Skipper's voice came on over the intercom, saving them from the impending awkward silence. "Mr. Thirteen and Mr. Valentine, your presences are requested at the bridge. We will be-" the voice was cut off and it sounded as if there was someone fighting him for the mic. The two men looked up to the ceiling as the muffled scuffling sound continued, until finally Yuffie's voice was heard. "Hey! Vincent and Nanaki, tea times over boys so get your butts up here! We're at Mideel and we're gonna (urp) land. Ugh, I feel sick... hey Skip' how do you turn this thing off?"  
  
"She's always had a way with words," Red XIII said shaking his head.  
  
"Tch, she's head and shoulder's above Cid," Vincent said without any humor in his voice.  
  
~*~  
  
Mideel had changed greatly since their last visit. The city had found that having the Lifestream flowing through it wasn't as big of a disadvantage as they originally thought. There were temples and oracles on every corner, street vendors sold Lifestream merchandise, and flocks of tourist and pilgrims from all over the world were everywhere.  
  
"Who would have guessed this place would have become such a..." Red XIII began as he watched one tourist group pose for a picture in front of the Lifestream.  
  
"What? Such a sell-out, tourist trap?" Yuffie said eyeing the place, " Kinda reminds me of home," she added bitterly.  
  
"So what are we supposed to be doin' here?" Cid asked impatiently.  
  
"I'm supposed to find a way to contact Bugenhagen. I suppose an Oracle could help, but I have no clue where to begin," Red XIII answered, still a bit dazed. "I guess we just take our pick?"  
  
"Sounds good, let's go," Cid agreed.  
  
They climbed the marble steps of the Oracle of the Lifestream. Yuffie reached to open the door, only for it to fly open as a sobbing young woman came barreling out of the building, and straight into her. "Whoa!" she squeaked in surprise as she fell hard on her ass.  
  
She was helped up by strong arms wrapped around her waist and one under her arm. "She was in a hurry," Red XIII remarked from behind her.  
  
"Yeah," she said as she pulled away from him, her face slightly red.  
  
"Are you blushing Yuffie?" Cid asked with a smirk.  
  
"Shut up, Cid," she snapped then blew past him into the building.  
  
The foyer of the Oracle was cool compared to the humidity of the Mideelian afternoon. Their footsteps echoed off the marble floor and gracefully placed stone pillars. A small blonde girl in a flowing white dress appeared out of nowhere and greeted them, "Hello, pilgrims. Welcome to the Oracle of Life, I am Cecile, how may I be of assistance?"  
  
"How did she do that?" Yuffie whispered to Vincent.  
  
"No clue."  
  
Red XIII stepped forward, "Hello, we came here to contact someone within the Lifestream," he explained.  
  
"Oh a Calling- right this way," she said leading them away from the open room.  
  
As they walked deeper into the Oracle, the great arc of the ceiling began to slope down as they came to a tunnel-like corridor lined with doors. Candles on the walls cast soft orange luminescence on the walls, and the sound of running water murmured through the hall.  
  
"What's that noise?" Yuffie asked.  
  
"That is the sound of the Lifestream. It flows directly through the second dome- it is why we are called the Oracle of the Lifestream  
  
"Right now, we are in the hallway that links the first and second dome. This is where we perform our Callings," she stopped in front of a door with a handle that glowed vaguely. She grasped the handle and muttered to the door in a strange language while the group looked on. "Ouvrez," she commanded, and the door swung open.  
  
She stepped aside to let the group inside. "The Caller will be with you shortly. I will return for you at the end of the session," Cecile said, then shut the door behind them. When she shut it, the door vanished and was replaced by a seamless continuation of the rest of the marble wall.  
  
"What the hell!" Cid exclaimed in surprise, "Where's the goddamn door?!"  
  
"Ahem," Vincent cleared his throat.  
  
".... Where did the door go." The dark haired man nodded his approval.  
  
"You're kiddin' me, we're locked in here?!" Yuffie said with a note of panic in her voice.  
  
Red XIII examined the area where the wall had been, to find nothing but solid wall. "I guess we wait until the Caller arrives."  
  
The flat screen monitor on the wall behind Cid came to life. The face of a girl with red, curly hair showed up on the screen, "I'm here you guys!" the girl chirped.  
  
"Ghaa!" he yelled in surprise, jumping onto Vincent.  
  
"Scared you?" the rifleman asked with a snicker.  
  
"Oh my Gods! I'm like so sorry! Are you okay?" the screen asked with concern on her digital face.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered brushing himself off nonchalantly.  
  
"Are you the Caller?" Red XIII asked.  
  
"Wow, you're cute," the screen said with a flirty smile. Red XIII's face went crimson.  
  
"He asked you a question," Yuffie shot in annoyance at the overly flirtatious screen.  
  
"Rarw, someone's got an attitude problem," the screen scrunched her nose in mock disgust. "Yes, I'm Aurora, your Caller. What do you say we get this party started? Who are you trying to contact?"  
  
"My grandfather, Bugenhagen." Red XIII answered.  
  
"Alright then Cutiepie. Next decide who's gonna be your Link. The Link's like the guy that's the voice and body of whoever you guys are Callin'. So pick well, ok?"  
  
"So the Link will essentially be possessed by the spirit?" Vincent asked. "Yeah. You could say that," she confirmed.  
  
"Alright, give us a moment, please?" Red XIII nodded. He turned to the group. "What do you guys think?"  
  
"It ain't gonna be me, I don't trust that computer," Yuffie spat. She looked over her shoulder at the screen who was blowing kisses to Red XIII's back at that very moment.  
  
"Jealous she's making moves on your man?" Cid asked slyly.  
  
"I, I don't know what you're talking about!" she sputtered.  
  
"Let's keep focused, you guys," Red XIII interrupted, "So Yuffie's out. Cid? Vincent?"  
  
"I'm not sure how Chaos would behave if I was possessed, he might view it as a threat and emerge. I wouldn't like to tempt fate," Vincent said as he rested his back against the wall with his arms folded over his chest.  
  
"I agree," he assented. "I need to be here to speak with him, so that leaves...." three heads turned to Cid.  
  
"Oh no. Oh no. I flew you halfway across the world to see this damn ditz-in- a-box, I think I've done my good deed."  
  
Vincent rested his hand gently on Cid's shoulder. "Cid, please?" he asked softly.  
  
The pilot frowned, then sighed "Alright," he acquiesced. "but only because you want me to Vince. That's the only reason," he added stridently.  
  
"You guys are soo cute!" Aurora said wiping tears from her virtual eyes.  
  
"Yeah, whatever. Let's get this over with," Cid grumbled.  
  
"Ok, all you have to do is put you hand on the screen, and that's it."  
  
"That's it?" he asked warily.  
  
"Yeah, like for sure."  
  
He walked forward in a reluctant manner, and placed his hand on the screen. The effect was instantaneous: Cid's body arched and spasmed violently, his face contorted in pain, and he howled as he collapsed to the floor. Vincent rushed to his side and caught him before he hit the ground, he held on to his lover as he continued to writhe in his arms.  
  
"What the hell did you do to him?!" he barked at the screen, garnet eyes flashing murderously.  
  
"Dude, this like happens every time. Chill out," she said unperturbed.  
  
"Chill out?" he repeated in a frightful tone. Red XIII could feel the dark aura building around him, and could see his skin gaining a violet hue, and his canines beginning to elongate. "That's not the answer I was looking for," he said in a cold feral voice.  
  
"Shit! Yuffie, he's becoming Chaos!" Red XIII shouted. "We've got to-"  
  
"Ho ho hooo!"  
  
"Bugenhagen?" Yuffie asked.  
  
"Grandpa?"  
  
"Cid?" Vincent asked perplexed, looking down at the head against his chest. Slowly, Chaos' features began to subside back into his body. Cid stood and began to float as he moved around the room. They all watched the person that was Cid in voice and body, but was obviously not Cid. The way he moved, and even the air about him, were different.  
  
"Link complete!" Aurora smiled. "Tap on screen when you're done. Bye Cutiepie," she said winking at Red XIII, then the screen went black.  
  
"I see you're still quite the ladies' man, my boy," Bugenhagen chuckled.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," he sniffed. "Clearly you do if you have broken the curse of Shiva," Bugenhagen said knowingly.  
  
"I-" he cut himself off and sighed. "Well it wasn't my fault you know. I didn't know Yuffie... how could I've?"  
  
"Her?" Bugenhagen looked Yuffie with a puzzled expression, "But I thought the Ancient girl was already dead."  
  
"What would Aeris have to do with anything, Grandpa?"  
  
"Would someone like to tell me what the hell is goin' on here?! I'm about two seconds off just walkin' out on all of you," Yuffie interjected loudly.  
  
"There is an old story of how our people came into being," Bugenhagen began. "It is said that we, the Fenrir, were the result of an affair between Gaea, the earth god, and the Phoenix, goddess of rebirth."  
  
"But I thought that Gaea was married to Shiva in all those old stories," Yuffie interrupted.  
  
"Aha! He was, and that is where the trouble started," Bugenhagen continued. "Shiva was jealous of her husband's affair, so she cursed the Fenrir with an insatiable bloodlust and a beast form. Hoping that the humans- her children with Gaea- would despise and kill all of them."  
  
"But Nanki's not a bloodthirsty animal," Yuffie scoffed. "Gawd! If anything he acts better than I do most of the time."  
  
"That's not saying much," Red XIII mumbled.  
  
"Go to hell!" she shot back.  
  
"Anyway, to answer your question," Red XIII said. "It's the crestils that I wear on my ankles and wrist that protect me from that part of the curse."  
  
"Yes," Bugenhagen nodded his head. "The crestils were the Pheonix's only way to protect her children from Shiva's Curse. But even they were not strong enough to remedy the second part of the curse."  
  
"So then how is he human, Bugenhagen? How are you human?" Yuffie asked frustratedly.  
  
"That, my dear, is the last part of the story. When Shiva cursed the Fenrir she made it so the only way to break the curse was the love of the very people she meant to destroy them with- the humans. Which she was sure would be impossible because of their shallow and fickle natures."  
  
"She wasn't right though, wasn't she? They forced all of our people into Cosmo Canyon with the Gi tribe and all the other unwanted monsters. And those that didn't go they killed, right?" Red XIII said softly. It pained him to talk about that part of his history, to constantly live and remember something he hadn't even been alive for.  
  
"The Exile was terrible to say the least, but it was before we had been given the gift of the crestils. We *were* monsters Nanaki, there had been just as many humans killed by us as Fenrir killed by them. The humans did what they felt was necessary to their survival.  
  
"Not to say that they are entirely without blame," Bugenhagen continued. "Man is without a doubt the cruelest, most vicious, dangerously ignorant collection of creatures on the planet. But it is because of their love that the curse was broken for both of us. The gods' sense of irony truly knows no limit."  
  
There was a silence in the room as they let Bugenhagen's comment settle over them. Red XIII looked over at Yuffie who was pointedly looking anywhere but at him. She glanced at him as she felt his eyes on her, and then cleared her throat. "We need to finish this up soon. I think that Vincent's having some issues over there."  
  
The gunman sat in the corner of the room with his legs drawn up to his chest. His eyes trained on Bugenhagen's every movement. His lips were slightly parted, his already pale skin looked even paler, and a light sheen of sweat covered his features. Red XIII guessed that the only reason that he had not lost control of Chaos was the holy power of the Oracle itself.  
  
He took a deep breath, not quite sure how to ask his question. Or if he even really wanted to ask it anymore. "Grandpa, do you know of anyway to unbreak the curse?"  
  
Bugenhagen stared at him for a moment then broke down into raucous laughter, "Oh my! Oh my! Nanaki sometimes you're just too much. But I know better than to do anything but take you seriously. Let me think on this for a moment." He crossed his legs in mid-air and tapped his chin thoughtfully, then he snapped his fingers. "Why yes, it is possible for you to return to your original form, or more familiar form as it were. Not entirely, though. You are human now my boy, but it will give you the ability to go between the two forms as you wish.  
  
"There is a materia called "Fenris" that would give you that ability, but it is so rare and so difficult to synthesize that only the Master Materia Maker who lives in the forest near Kalm can perform it."  
  
"Rare materia, huh? Now were talkin'!" Yuffie said almost reflexively.  
  
"Fenris materia? It sounds somewhat familiar," Red XIII said. The realization that he was stuck with this form forever making a large rock form in the pit of his stomach. "Thank your for your help, Grandpa."  
  
He nodded, "I will always help you when you need it, Nanaki." He looked at Yuffie and winked. "Take care of him." He knocked on the screen and it buzzed back to life.  
  
"You guys done with your session yet?" Aurora asked.  
  
"Yes," Bugenhagen answered.  
  
"Shibby. 'Kay, like I said just put your hand on the screen and we'll get you squared away."  
  
Bugenhagen placing his hand was the last thing Red XIII saw before the entire room filled with a blinding blue light. He heard Yuffie yelp her surprise next to him as he shielded his eyes with his arms. When the light had faded, Vincent knelt in the center of the room cradling Cid in his arms.  
  
"Holy mother of god, this has got to be the worse fuckin' hangover I've ever heard of in my life," Cid groaned sleepily.  
  
The gunman crushed the blond's body to his, "Cid! I thought something had happened. Why did I let them do that to you? Oh god I-"  
  
"Whoa, Vince slow down! I'm fine, promise. You're gonna suffocate me if ya keep squeezin' me like this though, babe," he said, stroking his dark hair consolingly. A door materialized on the wall and Cecile knocked before opening it. She quirked a blonde eyebrow at the couple on the floor, but did not comment.  
  
"Your session has ended, please follow me back to the main dome."  
  
"Thank you god! I need to get the hell outta here before they start making out on the floor. Old people sex equals GROSS-NESS!" she exclaimed before exiting out the newly appeared doorway.  
  
Red XIII followed her, but stopped, "I suggest you let them be for a few minutes, if possible," he whispered to Cecile. "Today has been particularly difficult for the darker haired gentleman."  
  
She nodded, "That will be fine. Callings always seem a bit dramatic when you first see them."  
  
He thanked her and followed Yuffie, eternally grateful that the priestess hadn't seen how truly "dramatic" Vincent's first Calling could have been.  
  
~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Red XIII clenched his fists in the Dragon Claws experimentally, still adjusting to the feel of the weapon. He struck the wooden post forcefully, and caused a spray of wood chips to dislodge from it. He liked the shock of metal on wood under his hand, although it was slightly different from the head ornament he was used to.  
  
Thwack  
  
The claws weren't exactly like the real thing, but their familiarity were comforting. He was glad that Yuffie had suggested them when they had passed by that merchant from the Icicle area. "You know, so you'll be strapped the next time Vincent decides to breakdown," she had whispered to him.  
  
Yuffie.  
  
Thwack  
  
He heard the telltale sound of her light, quick footsteps coming up the grate iron stairway that led on and off the airship. She had left almost immediately after they had returned from the city, she had told them that she wanted to take a quick stroll with the Conformer through the Mideelian jungles. But he knew that she was just desperate to be away from him. She hadn't looked at him once since the Oracle.  
  
Thwack  
  
Was she disgusted now that she knew he came from a race of cursed people?  
  
Thwack  
  
Why did it even matter? Who was she to judge anyone? A manipulator, a thief, a liar- she was everything his mother had warned him that humanity was and maybe even worse.  
  
Thwack  
  
But still. She was his friend, and that made it matter. Didn't it?  
  
"'Naki, you hit that pole anymore and there won't be nothin' left," her voice came from behind him. His mind wandered back from his thoughts and he noticed that the practice pole he had been striking was missing a large chunk off its right side, and was threatening to collapse at any moment. He chuckled despite himself, "Guess I wasn't really paying attention."  
  
"Obviously," she said. She sat against a large metal support beam that jutted out of the deck, and rested the Conformer against her leg. Even with his weaker human senses he could smell the faint metallic scent of blood that clung to her, and her shirt was stained in a few places with the brownish-red of the drying stuff.  
  
"I was thinking about it," he said abruptly. "And I decided that even if we do get this "Fenris" materia made for me I'm going to return to Cosmo Canyon. I've been away far too long, and it's time I began to assume my responsibilities."  
  
Her eyes jerked up in surprise, and then narrowed in indignation. "Well that's funny 'cause I've been thinkin', too. And I decided that I'm glad you're goin' home, 'cause after two years you still won't let me know a goddamn thing about you." He opened his mouth to speak, and she raised a finger to silence him. "No, no, you had your turn, now it's my turn. I mean, yes I was a little surprised to find out about this curse business. But then I really started thinking about it and I realized it really shouldn't surprise me seeing as I know nothing about you."  
  
"You could ask," he said softly.  
  
"Nope. Tried that, and I kept on gettin' some circular friggin' answer that I didn't understand, so I gave up. And you know maybe you could try, you know, volunteering information every once in a while. I tell you stuff all the time."  
  
"There's not much to say, I don't think. I mean, I'm really not that interesting..."  
  
She nodded her head slowly, "Uh-huh, whatever. What you're tryin' to say is that you really don't trust me enough to tell me anything, right? I understand. Can't blame ya though: I wouldn't trust me neither. Right?"  
  
"Don't put words in my mouth, Yuffie. I said what I meant, there really isn't much to say."  
  
"Well that's it, isn't it? Good lil' Fenrir boys don't trust two-legged things (I think I've heard you call us that before), especially if their thieves," she pushed herself up against the support beam to stand. "And once again I can't really blame you. Sounds like we messed you guys over pretty bad, huh?"  
  
"If you understand all that, then why can't you respect my reservations?"  
  
She made a loud growl of frustration, "If it wasn't for your "reservations" you wouldn't be in this mess in the first place! You wouldn't be human right now if you had told me ANYTHING about this curse before now!"  
  
"Oh how convenient for you," he said snidely. "Now you can just put all the blame on me, and once again escape the consequences of your actions."  
  
"You know what? I'm sick and friggin' tired of you acting like this is the worse thing that ever happened to you. I'd be happy that for once in my life people didn't stare at me everywhere I went, that maybe I could finally get laid like one time before I died, that maybe I had a shot at being normal for once!" she shouted the last words, then immediately stopped talking. Red XIII saw her studying him to see if maybe she had gone to far this time.  
  
"Maybe I'd feel the same way if I was only concerned about myself like you are most of the time," he retorted. "But unfortunately, I don't have that luxury because I am... was the last of my people."  
  
She stood up with Conformer in her hand, "Like I said, it's a good thing that you're goin' home soon. I wouldn't want you to ever think for yourself or anything." She strode past him without looking back, and down the stairs to the interior of the ship.  
  
He watched her go, and almost felt sick. He had never felt so totally and utterly frustrated in his whole life. Why was it so important now that he told her about himself? It had never mattered to her before. The one thing that he was sure of was that he would never ever believe any woman ever again. Friend or not.  
  
Red XIII heard footsteps behind him and turned, praying that Yuffie hadn't returned for a second round, to see Cid. The man looked nervous: he puffed his cigarette in short, quick drags, and occasionally glanced over at the stairs that led to the interior of the ship. He reminded Red XIII of a hunted animal. "I had to get away from Vincent," he explained quickly. " He's been hoverin' over me since we left Mideel, and he can just be fuckin' *unbearable* when he gets that Mother Hen thing up his ass. You know I blame that bitch Lucretia for some of this shit," he looked at the post and gave a low whistle. "You did a number on that thing. So I guess you've gotten good with those gloves, then?"  
  
"I'm improving," Red XIII answered.  
  
"That's good. We'd need you in case we got into a tight spot," he said clapping the red head's shoulder amiably. "Anyways, I was supposed to tell you that we're having a meeting in the break room to figure out what we do next. So head down soon."  
  
He nodded, "Will do."  
  
"Cid? Are you up there? Cid?" Vincent's voice called from the foot of the stairs.  
  
"Aww shit, gotta go Red," he said walking quickly in the opposite direction that the voice had come from.  
  
A moment later, Vincent climbed up the stairs. "If I was smart, I'd shoot him in the knee caps so I wouldn't have to chase him all over this ship all the time. But then again if I was smart I wouldn't be married in the first place, " he smirked at Red XIII. He turned from him and strode off in the direction the pilot had gone, but called over his shoulder "Tifa once told me that if you release you center, that it makes your hits harder. I'm sure if she told me it goes double for you," he said with a final flourish of his left claw before disappearing around the corner.  
  
Release your center, eh? Red XIII thought to himself. He took a deep breath and let his body relax, then he raised his claw and struck the post. There was no thwack; his hand had gone clear through the wood. A moment later, half the top half of the post slid off and fell to the ground with a dull thud. He was startled for a moment, then looked at the claws, and Tifa with a new appreciation.  
  
~*~  
  
The four of them all sat together around a table in the break room. One of the crewmembers cleared away the plates their dinner had been served on and took them back to the ships kitchen. Yuffie hadn't said a word while they discussed what had taken place at the Oracle, even though they had sat next to each other almost out of habit.  
  
"So you don't mind taking me to Kalm?" Red XIII asked.  
  
"Yeah, why the hell not? We're already out here, and you two have already royally screwed my vacation, so why not just go the whole nine yards with it?" the pilot answered roughly.  
  
"What do you plan on doing, Yuffie?" Red XIII asked the ninja girl.  
  
She glared at him and answered, "I'm going to Kalm with you, what did you think?"  
  
"That you'd be going home."  
  
"Look! I told you I'd help you find your stupid goddamn "cure" and that's what I'm going to do, so deal!" she shoved away from the table and declared that she was going to go take a shower before striding out the automatic doors.  
  
Cid blinked his eyes in confusion, "What the hell?"  
  
Red XIII sighed, "We had a bit of a falling out. I shouldn't have provoked her..."  
  
"Must've been a helluva fight," Cid continued pryingly. Red XIII shrugged.  
  
"Tifa told me that Kalm has changed a lot since the Exodus," Vincent said changing the subject. Red XIII flashed him a grateful look. That fight was honestly the last thing he wanted to talk about.  
  
Cid nodded, "I had a run out there not too long ago. It used to be a real hellhole for a while; they had no clue how to deal with all the people coming in from Midgar. Not to mention that everyone was still just a bit crazy after the whole Meteor thing went down. I think that Barret's got it mostly under control now."  
  
"Oh yeah he's mayor down there. I almost forgot about that," Red XIII said.  
  
"Him, Reeve, and a few of the remaining Turks have helped get everythin' up and runnin' down there these last few years," Cid agreed.  
  
"It was starting to improve by the time we left. But that first few months..."Vincent trailed off. They all nodded in agreement.  
  
To say that the fall of Midgar hadn't been pretty would be an understatement. Despite the fact that Meteor hadn't hit a lot of damage had been done. Some of the people had given up hope, so they didn't leave before Midgar fell. Wounded and dead had been everywhere. Red XIII remembered vividly the miles of refugee camps that stretched from Midgar to Kalm full of all those homeless, lifeless, hopeless people. It had been naivety on all their parts to assume that their jobs would be done after they saved the world. Everyone continued to look to AVALANCHE for support; and the members of AVALANCE looked to each other to get through what was perhaps the world's second darkest hour.  
  
"But we made it like we always do. Life moves on blah, blah, yada-fuckin ya," Cid acknowledged.  
  
Vincent shook his head as if to clear it of his thoughts, the pushed away from the table. "I'm too tired to even try to correct you. But you're right, fortunately for us all life does move on." He started walking to the automatic door, but instead of going through the doorway veered to the left a little too far and walked into the wall next to it. A resounding thud rang through the room.  
  
"Vincent?! What the hell happened?" Cid exclaimed as he got out of his seat.  
  
"I'm fine. But the room...it's spinning."  
  
Cid frowned at him, "How 'bout I take you back to the room?" The gunman seemed reluctant at first, and then acquiesced with a nod of his head. The pilot then grabbed him suddenly and threw him over his shoulder. A move impressive both because Vincent was taller than him by at least 2 or 3 inches, and because Red XIII knew there would have been no way for Cid to have achieved it if Vincent wasn't really out of it.  
  
"You know *walking* me there would have worked," Vincent said blandly.  
  
"And risk you dentin' up my ship more? You must be outta your mind," Cid said before walking through the doorway, leaving Red XIII alone at the table. A surprisingly calm ending to an extremely long day.  
  
It almost fooled him into thinking that tomorrow would be easier. 


	4. Chapter 4

For Aurora-Kayd

Yuffie laid on the bed facing the wall, her sweat plastering her short hair to her face and neck, her legs pulled up to her chest and cradled by her arms. She rocked herself to the steady rythmn of the whoomp-whoomp of a cooling fan somewhere in the belly of the Highwind, the noise beating a counterpoint to the throbing in her chest. She tried not to breathe; she felt some measure of her control over It loosen with each painful rise of her chest.

Return. It is done. He had said.

What had that bastard done to her? She would make Godo pay for this--she never wanted this. She could think of a thousand ways, each more painful than the last, to make him regret what he had done to her. Her claws sinking into his soft flesh, his warm blood filling her mouth while even more succulent screams of pain filled her ears.

"NO!" she screamed as her chest burned painfully as It rose to the surface. That moment's loss of control was all it took. It roared as she desperately struggled to shut that final inner barrier that seperated It from freedom.

/Why do you fight? you will succumb to me eventually./ It purred, as it paced behind the wall.

"Fuck you, buddy," she gasped out, "you ain't goin' nowhere."

/Why do you fear me so? I offer you power Yuffie. The power to have anything you ever wanted--the ultimate freedom. Is that not what you desire/

"I don't want anything! Please just go away," She said as she writhed on the bed as the pain became unberable. She wouldn't scream, she promised herself not to scream.

/Begging already/ She felt It laughing at her. /You can make it stop at anytime. Don't fight me. Open yourself to me./

/I can't/ she sobbed.

/OPEN THE GATE, YUFFIE/ Its claw slashed out, and Yuffie felt a felt a pain so brilliant she was momentarily blinded.

/FUCK YOU/ she roared, as she used everything she had to shove It back to the dark hole she had kept it in.

The door to her room busted open, and as she slipped into darkness she heard Red XIII call out her name.

Yuffie awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling and a head throbbing so hard it made her naseaus. The room was filled with the delicate hues of a sun lowering for the evening or rising for the morning. The softness of the sheets and mattress she laid on and the pleasent absence of the fragrence of jet fuel and sweat alerted her to the fact that she was no longer on the Highwind.

She sat up suddenly and the room rolled around sickeningly, "Uhh...this is like airsickness times a million," she groaned softly as she fought the urge to vomit.

"Don't try to get up. It'll just make it worse," Red XIII muttered. "You need to rest."

Yuffie stiffened and slowly looked in the direction his voice had come from. He sat in an arm chair with a blanket covering his lap and a haggard expression on his face. The clothes he was wearing were throughly wrinkled, and she recognized them as the ones she had seen him in the night before. He looked like the one who needed bed rest, Yuffie thought to herself, an ironic smile twisting her lips despite herself. "I feel fine," she insisted.

"Fine," he said with rare impatience. "Come over here and tell me that, and I won't have anything more to say."

She glared at him defiantly, ripped her covers off, and got to her feet abruptly. "There," she said as black spots danced across her vision. She walked towards him unsteadily and stopped a few feet before him with her arms crossed. "You see? I'm fine. You can go now."

He was silent. The fact that she found herself becoming uncomfortable under his stony gaze agitated her further, but she gritted her teeth and wondered how much longer she could remain standing.

Red XIII sighed, "Yuffie, I'm just trying to help; you can barely stand," he got up to help her back to the bed and she shoved him away violently. "Just let me--"

"Get out, Nanaki," she repeated through clenched teeth. "Who the hell do you think you are coming in here and acting like nothing fucking happened? Get out of my--" In her mind's eye she could see It, a pair of yellow eyes and a carnivore's teeth glinting malevolently in the darkness. In her rage she hadn't noticed its escape. It began to laugh, a frightening half-human, half-animal growl that echoed through Yuffie's skull, and a horrible realization dawned on Yuffie.

She had wanted it to escape. She had lost.

"Yuffie, I'm sorry about what happened the other night. I, well, when you're better I wanted to talk it over with you. I value your friendship, Yuffie, more than I can say and...Yuffie?" Her features were blank, but her eyes were wild with fear. "Yuffie?" he asked again, growing more apprehensive with each passing moment.

An animal's howl escaped her lips, "NOOOO!"

"YUFFIE!" he lunged at her and shook her once hard. "Snap out of it, Yuffie!"

Yuffie didn't fight, but her body was rigid and her breathing was heavy. Then she relaxed completely, her head lolling back strangely. The fear had melted away from her features when she rolled her neck up to look at him. Her lips were pulled into a lopsided smille that reached to yellow eyes. He let go of her and stumbled backwards. He was flooded with an unexpected rush of adrenaline; as if the more primal parts of his brain were reacting to the threat of a strange predator. In a voice much harsher than he intended he demaned, "What's wrong with you, Yuffie?"

A voice that was half-Yuffie, half-animal purred in his head/Are you scared of us/ The voice slid into his head with the warm softness of fur and the clandestine menace of sheathed claws: a sensation as disgusting as it was irresistable to Red XIII.

"What is there to be afraid of?" he asked hoarsley.

An annoyed look crossed Yuffie's face, and she started closing the distance between them. He recognized the predator's grace, the deadly sensuality as she walked towards him. "Yuffie...?" he asked in disbelief.

Her hands touched his face and held her face close enough to his to breathe in his scent/My name is/ she let her hands roam, dragging her nails past his neck, and over his chest as she began to nuzzle his neck, "Namir," Yuffie finished.

His eyes widened in surprised, and when Yuffie saw his reaction she started to laugh. He threw her off of him, hurling her back on to her bed. "How dare you call yourself by my mother's name!" he hissed.

Namir continued to laugh/Aww, and we were just starting to enjoy ourselves./ Red XIII seethed silently, but did not move towards her.

"How did you know her name?" he asked quietly.

/She chose you at her Henkan. We are of you. We know you./ Namir said with her head propped on one hand, one leg swinging lazily over the edge of the bed as if it were a tail.

"What? Chose me? What are you talking about?"

She sighed exasperatedly then looked at him with hooded eyes/Come to bed with us./ He felt the tantilizing sensation of fur and claw in his mind again, and as he closed his eyes to ward it off he was suddenly overcome with a scent he had not smelled in almost two years--home. It was her. His eyes snapped open and when he looked at the bed Yuffie was gone, and Namir remained.

She was smaller than he had been in his original form. Her fur was so black it shone blue over her feline musulature. A tail tipped with blue flame made the same languid circles as the foot it replaced. Her eyes were yellow, and glinted at him with a look not unlike the one a cat gave a mouse before she devoured it. She bared her teeth in a predatory smile, and suddenly she was Yuffie--human--again. /Come to bed with us, Nanki/ she purred.

He surveyed the creature that looked like Yuffie, but clearly was not. There was a certainty in her gaze that knew he would never harm the body she had so conviently chosen as a sheild. He was suddenly filled with cold resolve.

He would disillusion her.

His lips were drawn into a lazy smile that mirrored hers, and he moved with an easy grace to the bed. Her smile broadened as he worked his way onto the mattress, straddling her hips and capturing her mouth in a deep kiss. As he kissed her, he coaxed Namir further into his mind. He ran his hands through Namir's fur as he allowed his real hands to slide down the length of Yuffie's body. Namir purred and Yuffie moaned with pleasure. He could feel they were almost far enough. He could also feel that if Namir realized what he was doing for one moment everything would be ruined, and he didn't know if she would allow him this opportunity again.

Yuffie rolled him over unexpectedly, and started working on removing his shirt. When she tried to take his shirt off he grabbed her hands to stop her almost reflexively. She growled and with surprising strength wrenched her hands away and ripped away the shirt. Then to show him she meant buisness, she leaned forward and bit down on Red XIII's lower lip. There was a warning edge to the nip, as if daring him to attack. At that same moment, her hand reached the front of Red XIII's pants, and gave a slow, agonizing tug. He bucked into her palm, startled. His amber eyes flashed angrily and Yuffie looked pleased. He tangled their legs and flipped her onto her back, and in turn, bit her around throat, drawing blood from the soft tissue. This time he smiled, her blood still wet on his lips.

An uncertain look crossed Yuffie's face as if she wasn't quite sure how to proceed, but Namir knew exactly what to do. /How dare you mark me/ she rounded viciously on him and her claws flashed as she struck out at him, causing a brilliant pain to streak through his head like a lighting bolt. He didn't back down, and she stared at him with eyes filled with equal parts lust and violence. She was so intently focused on him, she didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. It was an ambush.

It was the blood that had called what was left of the beast in him, and it seemed that sex merely egged him on. He rose from the darkness with a howl that erupted from Red XIII's throat and signified the beginning of the hunt. In his mind eye he could see a vision of himself as he was lunge with claws extended after Namir.Red XIII struggled to maintain control over it, digging his fingers into the mattress in order to protect Yuffie from himself.

The menacing presence of this interloper was enough to send Namir beating a hasty retreat into the recesses of Yuffie's mind. /Do not doubt that I will return. Very, very soon./ She hissed from the safety of Yuffie's mind like a sullen cat screeching defiantly from the protection of a high tree. "I pray for your sake that you don't," he said wry and exausted.

Namir was silent.

Yuffie laid beneath him with her arms crossed protectively over her chest, and her features marred with confusion and panic. Then she began to sob. "I'm so sorry Nanaki. I didn't mean...Oh what have I done?" she choked out between sobs. "I'm so sorry. I'm a monster! I'm a fucking freak! What have those bastards done to me?"

"Shhh, Yuffie it's alright she's gone now. It's ok, it' ok," he said soothingly, lowering himself beside her so he could hold her. "It's alright. I'm fine, you see?"

His arms were wrapped around her and her tears wet his bear chest and the tatters of his shirt. Slowly her sobs quieted to silent tears and she allowed herself to relax into the warmth of his body. "I'm so tired, Nanaki," she whispered.

"So am I, Yuffie," he sighed into her hair. He had never summoned his beast like that before. It was usually only in the heat of battle that he would call upon the primal part of himself that remained from Shiva's curse. He decided to ponder the potential of that ability later.

"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" Yuffie asked timidly. The fragilty in her voice felt like a knife in his chest.

"Of course, Yuffie," he murmured, pulling her closer to him.

"Thank you, Nanaki," she took a deep breath, snuggled closer to him, and her breath evened out to the calm breathing of the unconscious. He closed his eyes and gave in to the warm pull of sleep.

The next morning Cid threw Red XIII's door open. "Yo Red, we need to talk about tonight--Oh shit! Sorry!"

Red XIII opened his eyes groggily and looked at the shocked pilot " Oh no, Cid. It's not what it-"

"Cid do you have to be so friggin' loud, some of us are tryin' to sleep, jeez," the brunette head on Red XIII's chest grumbled.

"Well, s'cuze me for wakin' you kids up at the crack of noon," Cid muttered, forgetting his initial shock.

"You're forgiven," Yuffie said before turning over and going back to sleep.

Red XIII's face was almost as red as his hair, but he managed to maintain composure as he walked stiffly across the room to Cid. "We can talk outside."

Cid smirked knowingly and allowed himself to be pulled out of the room by Red XIII. "Wild night, I'm guessing," Cid said after Red XIII had closed the door behind him.

"Yeah, you could say that," Red XIII said nonchalantly, making Cid's smile only get wider. "It's really not what you think," he repeated exasperatedly.

"Oh? What is it then?" Cid inquired, looking pointedly at the tattered shirt, the claw marks on his chest, and Red's slightly swollen lower lip.

"It's," he began, but stopped himself as he remembered Yuffie's self-loathing from the night before after he had been confronted with Namir. He didn't know if it was his place to tell Cid anything, so resolved that ambiguity would be the best idea. "Complicated," he finished.

"Not if you're doin' it right," Cid chuckled, making Red XIII blush again. "But I'm glad you two kids worked it out. The sexual tension was getting unbearable."

"You are aware I'm fifty, right? I'm old enough to be her grandfather."

"Fifity with the body and mind of an 18 year old, heh. Kid, it really doesn't count. Now, the real purpose of my visit was to tell you that I got directions from the hotel manager on how to get to this Master Materia Forger's place from here. He drew up a map, and I'll hand it over to you later," he took a deep breath before continuing. "The second part is to tell you, well..." he trailed off and stuffed his hands into his pockets as he considered the best way to phrase his thought.

"What is it?"

Cid let out a whooshing sigh, "Well, there's no point in sugar coat this, so I'm gonna tell you straight up: me and Vince are bailin' on you."

Red XIII was stunned for a moment, "What?"

"Well, I thought it over and decided a little while after dinner. What it comes down to is this: Vince was shook up pretty bad about what happened in Mideel, worse than he'd care to admit even to me. So, I think that maybe it would be better if maybe we spent this time off together, rather than tripping around the world with you two youngin's," he scratched the back of his head frustratedly. "Don't look at me like some kinda orphan, Nanaki. I feel like a grade-A asshole dumpin' you two midstream like this, but I'd be lying if I didn't say he was my biggest concern. I thought this would be good for him, you know? I thought he'd like the excitement, a change of pace. He always seems bored just hangin' around with me in Rocket Town like some kinda middle-aged housewife," he looked at Red earnestly. "I wanna do right by him, but I have not a damned clue where to start," he finished softly.

Red XIII thought of Yuffie as she laid her head on his chest. The feeling of her soft hair under his chin, her warm breath on his skin, the way her body seemed to mold so perfectly against his, and his realization that he would rather die than let anything harm her. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean, Cid. Do what you think is right. Between the two of us Yuffie and I can figure out some way to get back to Wutai."

"Great," he said relieved. "I thought you would understand, but I wanted to explain to you anyways," he blushed slightly. "Sorry for goin' all angsty on you; it seems to be catching and I happen to be married to someone who's got it bad."

Red XIII shrugged dismissively, "When do you plan on leaving?"

"I'm not sure, maybe we'll tool around the city for a while. There's really no rush when you have the fastest ship in the world," he said proudly. "Here's the map, by the way," He said as he reached into pocket and retrieved a slightly crumpled piece of paper. "Best of luck with your search and all."

"Thanks, Cid. For everything."

"No biggie, we've literally been to hell and back together, the eight of us. If that doesn't make us family, I don't know what could," he smiled.

Red XIII was suprised by the truth of the idea. He had considered the other members of AVALANCHE to be his closest friends, but family? He supposed Cid was right, and the realization made him smile in return, "Yeah, family, right."

They clasped eachother on the back and went there seperate ways. Cid promised to send Red XIII's regards to Vincent, and Red XIII promised to tell "that brat" that there would be a fee next time she expected Cid to play chauffer for her.

The hot water felt good as it poured down from the shower head onto Yuffie's skin. The steam and heat purged the horror of the night before from her flesh; she felt clean for the first time in almost a day, in control. She had been a prisonner in her own body when Namir had taken over. But...wasn't that what she had wanted? The helplessness had been miserable, but the power, the power was a thing of beauty. She had been flooded with a sort of self-assurance that made her feel invincible, untouchable. Every inch of her body had come alive, as if every sense was magnified and then rendered her previously monochromatic world in glorious, brilliant colors. The paradox of helpless strength was wonderous and abhorent all at once. When she had told Red XIII the night before that she was a monster, she hadn't meant because Namir resided within her. When she looked at the shirt she had ripped in half, the scratches she had left on his chest on shoulders, and the cut where she had bitten into his lip she knew she had enjoyed every moment of it. It was the sadistic self-satisfaction she had felt in the back of her mind made her a monster.

Yuffie let her hand wander up to the healed flesh on her neck where Red XIII had bitten her. She remembered looking at the bite marks in the mirror that morning, and for a fleeting second considered leaving them unhealed. Namir had said he had marked her, and had been horrified at the idea of someone declaring themselves alpha at her expense. She had considered the marks, wondering if there was something wrong with her for wanting to keep this small reminder that she belonged to him. Then she envisioned Cid's knowing smirk and decided to heal the marks with a Cure 2 to be doubly sure that no trace would be left.

As she turned off the water, she began to wonder exactly what the extent of Namir's influnence was--where exactly did Namir's desires end, and her own begin? Her escape the other night had blurred the line, and the idea of her emotions being so thourougly manipulated disgusted her. She was toweling off as she heard a door close in the other room, and wondered why Red XIII would return so soon. Then, it struck her: this was Nanaki's room. She suddenly felt sheepish as she realized that she had slept in his bed the night before, and had just finished taking a shower in his bathroom. Deciding she might as well just go along with it, she snagged a robe off the hook on the back of the door leading to the bedroom, and finally returned to the next room.

Red XIII stood with his back to her as he crained over something on the room's only desk. His hands were flat on the desk and his plaited hair laid down the length of his bare, tanned back. She stepped over the tattered heap that had been his shirt, and he looked at her over his shoulder. "Morning," he greeted her. "Or afternoon, rather."  
"Hi," she said, feeling uncharecteristically shy. She felt a twinge of wariness like a warning growl in the back of her mind. She recognized immediately that it wasn't her own emotion and tried her best to ignore it, but couldn't help smirking--Namir had apparently gained a healthy respect for Red XIII the night before, or at least a sizable grudge.

"Come over here and look at this," he said moving over to make room for her. "This is the map to the Master Materia Forger's home."

She crossed the room and examined the map, after a moment she shrugged. "We could probably make it in a couple of hours, maybe longer because of the forest and all. Word on the street is that the Kalmian forests aren't nearly as nasty now as they were during the first years of Reconstruction."

"From the overabundance of monster hunters, I'd assume."

"Probably," she looked him over before she said. "Maybe I should go so you can get ready. I'm guessin' that you wanna go ASAP, right?"

"Sure, in a moment," he said abstractedly. "Yuffie," he began softly. "I think we need to talk about last night."

"There's nothing to discuss, Nanaki," she started stubbornly, but she saw the look in his eyes and finished "but if you think so, then fine. Fire away. I'm not gonna promise to know everything." She took a seat on the edge of the bed and looked at him expectantly.

"Ok. How long has this been going on?"

"Has what been going on?"

"Yuffie, could you not be difficult for once?" he said pleadinginly.

She rolled her eyes and looked pointedly at his feet, "Technically, it was probably the night of my Henkan ceremony. The same night I kissed you," she explained. "Officially, I dunno, I felt her for the first time yesterday night, but this is the first time she ever "emerged", I guess."

Red XIII was puzzled, "But I thought you missed the Henkan Ceremony."

Yuffie scoffed, " I wasn't present for my Henkan Ceremony, but I didn't miss it. That wily old bastard and his cronies have never felt the need to fight fairly. Either way, I knew that they had figured I woulda stuck around after they had forced The Bitch on me. Must've been a helluva a surprise when he came back yesterday morning and I was gone," she said with a satisfied smirk.

"Maybe you should have stayed, Yuffie," he suggested after a pause. "At least until you knew how to control this thing."

Her eyes became wide with indignation, but not wanting to tempt fate she continued calmly, "I thought I would have more time. I mean, I had always heard you were "bound" to your Henka, or whatever, but I guess I had never really thought about what that meant. Maybe I just ignored it cause Godo had always told me that it took months of training for you to even assume your Henka. Guess the part about the nasty psychological side effects slipped his mind."

"I see."

There was a pensive silence after he spoke. His gaze seemed to have turn inward as he weighed this new information, leaving her alone in the quiet. She studied him as he thought, taking in the deep scratches on his chest that ran like raw red ribbons on the patchwork of his already scarred chest. Her handiwork. The knowledge both humiliated and aroused her, so she chose to let it slip through her notice. She had a sudden urge to escape his room, the walls that were beginning to close in on her, and his presence that was like a constant unpleasent reminder of all that seemed to have come undone so quickly. "Well, if the Q and A is over would you happen to know where my room is?"

He looked at her as if awakening from a deep sleep. "It's right next door. All your stuff should be in there."

"Thanks," she said getting up to leave.

"Wait, Yuffie," he stood as well, touching her shoulder lightly as she passed. She jerked away as if she had been burnt.

An uncomfortable moment passed where Red XIII's stunned and slightly hurt expression was reflected back at in him in Yuffie's guilty one. "I dunno why I did that," she admitted almost too softly for him to hear, the truth of it like a punch to her gut. "What did you wanna ask me?"

"It's not important. Don't worry about it," he said tightly before returning to the map.

Yuffie could think of nothing to say that could take back the moment. She managed an apologetic look before heading out the door.

Later, she sat on the edge of the bed in her own room staring at the wall that connected her room to Red XIII's and replayed the moment in her mind, letting her mind roam to the night before as her hands had roamed his body. Where did Namir's desires end and her's begin? The question was like a Sphinx's unsolvable riddle sent by her father and his cronies to slowly drive her insane. "Good for nothin' ol' dirt bag," she screamed before dramatically chunking a pillow against the wall. A picture of the coast fell from the wall to the floor, its glass shattering into a thousand shinning shards. She was surprised, then pleased. The small act of destruction appeased her frustration like a blood offering to an angry god. She felt ready to face the day. She'd leave the cost to house keeping.

Red XIII walked out into the light and noise of the afternoon. Kalm had grown considerably since he had been here almost a year ago, but it held on to its small town feeling despite all the new comers. Their hotel was situated in what used to be the center of town, but was slowly growing into the commercial center of New Kalm as old tenants of the little huddled buildings were replaced by new buisnesses. He had seen an outcropping of small houses around the outer ring of the city as they had flown-in which, according to one of the men on the ship was called a "suburb" by the natives.

He looked around impatiently for Yuffie who said that she would only be a minute when he heard her footsteps skittering down the stairs behind him.

"Took you long enough," he grumbled.

"I told you I had to grab something from my room," she looked around. "Hey, where are Cid and Vincent?"

" They decided to go back to Rocket Town," Red XIII explained.

"What! How the crap are we gonna get home, then?" Yuffie exclaimed.

"We'll figure something out," he shrugged.

"Well, they better of at least had a good excuse as to why they're friggin' strandin' us up like this," Yuffie sniffed.

Red XIII was silent for a moment as if he were trying to find the magic words that would keep her from causing a scene in the middle of a busy street. "Personal reasons," he decided finally.

She looked at him consideringly before finally rolling her eyes, "Whatev, I could really give anyways. Let's go before I die of boredom. C'mon!"

He shrugged, "Alright, that way," he said pointing north towards the Kalmian Forest.

The Master Materia Forger lived in a two story house in the general seclusion of a clearing a few miles outside of Kalm. Red XIII pushed open the ivy-laden gate, and he and Yuffie walked into the grassy courtyard.

Sunlight streamed in through the leaves making bright splashes of light and dark shadows dance together across their faces. They came to a wooden porch and Red XIII knocked on the door three times. Behind the door, they could hear a muffled voice answer "Coming!". They stood back and waited, and waited, and waited until a little girl opened the door.

The child carried a wooden spoon coated in a gooey mess of chocolate chips and dough.Her face, apron, and cotton candy pink pig-tails were all covered with a fine layer of flour. The girl's pig-tails fell behind her shoulders as she tilted her head back to look up at Red XIII. " Hiya! Umm, can I help you guys with something?" she asked, absently wiping flour from her hands to her already flour covered apron.

Nanki squatted down so that he was eye level with the girl. " Hello, Miss. We wish to speak with the Master Materia Forger. Is she here right now?"

"Sure," she smiled. "C'mon in!" she said welcoming them in with the wave of a gooey spoon. They followed her to the living room. "Make yourselves comfortable, it'll be a second," she said right before disappering behind another door.

Yuffie inhaled deeply, the smell of freshly baked cookies saturated the air. "Wow, that smells really good," she remarked appretiatively.

"Yes it does," he agreed.

"Thanks, I'm making a fresh batch," the little girl said. She had reappeared wearing a clean dressed that matched the color of her pig-tails, and her hands and hair were free of flour. She climbed into a large easy chair, and took on a business-like air despite the fact that her feet did not touch the ground. "So, how can I help you guys?"

Red blinked in confusion for a moment, then laughed. "No, no, you misunderstood me. I wanted to see the Master Materia Forger."

"I AM the Master Materia Forger," she answered indignantly.

Yuffie snorted, " C'mon kid, it's really not cute anymore."

"I am and I'll prove it to you!" she jumped off the chair and pointed her spoon at Yuffie. "Chantez." she said in a commanding tone.

" What are you going to fo? Point me into submission?" Yuffie asked sarcastically.

" _This is not enough._

_I'm in serious shit, I feel totally lost._

_If I'm asking for -"_

She quickly covered her mouth to keep herself from singing. She removed them again hesitantlly

"_What the hell is wrong with me?_

_My friends say I should act my age_

_What's my age again? What's my age again?"_

She put both hands firmly on her mouth and kept them there this time.

"Do you believe me now?" the girl asked with both hands on her hips.

"What did you do to her?" Red XIII asked as he watched Yuffie desprately trying to stifle the next song that was trying to escape her lips.

"The "Sing" materia was one of the first I ever synthesised. I think it was a "Manipulate" materia infused with a Siren's harp string. It makes the target sing bad pop music. Intresting effect, huh?" she said watching Yuffie with a look of childish amusement on her small face.

_"I dont care who you are_

_Where you're from_

_As long as you love me." _

Yuffie interrupted, then immediately slapped her hands back on her mouth.

"Could you please take it off of her? It's really killing her. I'm sure she'll be more polite afterwards, right Yuffie?" Red XIII said casting the brunnette a look. She quickly nodded her agreement.

"Umm, okay," she threw Yuffie a Remedy, which the ninja girl drank gratefully.

"Who the hell do you think you are!" Yuffie barked at the younger girl. Red XIII facefaulted: was Yuffie actually trying to piss off this girl?

"I'm Minnie Aruna, Master Materia Forger. Please to meet you," she curtsied.

"You know that's not what I meant you little-" Red XIII glared daggers at her and she immediately shut her mouth.

"We'd like to ask for your help Miss Aruna."

"Minnie, please."

"Yes, Minnie, I'm looking to have a rare type of materia made. It's called "Fenris". Are you familiar with it?"

She tapped her chin with her spoon thoughtfully, then said finally "It's been sometime since I was asked to make Fenris." She appraised him consideringly, her eyes suddenly too old for her youthful face. "The last Fenrir," she said with sadness in her voice. He nodded and she smiled gently at him. She looked at Yuffie with a mixture of amusement and new appreciation, "Your friend suddenly makes sense."

Yuffie, apparently sensing the shift in their hostess as well, was astonished for a moment, "What the hell kinda kid are you?"

Minnie giggled, childish once again, "A cute one? But oh!" she squealed clapping her hands together, "It's just like a fairy tale! The frog prince, you know?"

"Not this again," Red XIII groaned, and Yuffie couldn't help but smirk.

"I apologize, I thought everyone liked that story," she said crestfallen, but then immediately perked up again. "Well, I think I can help you. I'll need a few things though, some I probably have here. Lesse, I have that, that, and a lot of those," she said counting the list on her fingers with the spoon. "Ok, so all I'll need are mastered "Transform" and "Heal" materias, and a Christened Blossom."

"We have the materia, but where can we find this Christened Blossom?" Red XIII asked.

" Oh they only grow in one place, and it's very close-by. Lucky for you two, huh?"

"So...where is it?" Yuffie inquired impatiently.

"Midgar, actually. There is, well, was a church in the Sector 5 slums where flowers were grown by a Cetran woman. Beautiful flowers," she sighed dreamily. "Powerful, too. You gotta promise to only take one, because they're really special," she said looking at them sternly.

Both Red XIII and Yuffie's eyes had gone wide, "Aeris' flowers?" Red XIII breathed.

"It can't be..." Yuffie trailed off.

Minnie looked between the two of them puzzled, " Is something wrong."

"No, just a strange coinicidence, that's all," Red XIII answered. "Is it still necissary to get clearance before going into Midgar?"

Minnie tapped her chin with her spoon again, "I'm not sure," she shrugged finally. "You'll just have to ask around about that."

"Real helpful, kid," Yuffie muttered.

"I know. Momma always used to say so," Minnie agreed brightly.

Yuffie rolled her eyes and seemed to be on the brink of making another comment when Red XIII interrupted. "Thank you Minnie. Here," he handed the girl the "Transform" and "Heal" materias. "We'll be back with the Christened Blossom."

"Alright, I'll have cookies for you when you come back," she grinned.

"Let's go, Yuffie," he said nudging the Ninja girl.

"Yeah, let's go," she said sparing the little girl a wary glance.

Yuffie streched in the inconstant sunlight of the front yard. "Is it just me, or does it seem like every five minutes someone's sending us somewhere? ' Go see blah-blah in Kalm on the other side of the world." Or ' Fetch blah-blah from the world's biggest hell hole, tee-hee'" she said imitating Minnie's high voice. "Don't you ever get tired of it?"

Red XIII was lost in his own thoughts. Something had been nagging at his memory since Minnie had told them what would be necissary to make the "Fenris" materia. He groped at whatever it was that danced elusively on the edge of his recollection, only to sense its importance but remain incapable of fathoming what that importance was. What was so important about flowers?

He realized that Yuffie was staring at him impatiently, and he guessed that she had been talking to him, "What?"

She sighed dramatically, "Never mind. You're friggin' hopeless." Her stomach rumbled loudly, "Ugh, I'm starved! Let's grab somethin' to eat when we get back to Kalm." He agreed and they set off for town.


End file.
